Open Doors
by iviscrit
Summary: "It's open," Kuvira called over her shoulder as she eased herself into her seat. "It's always open, Baatar. Stop your damn banging on the door-" "Actually," Suyin said, amusement in her voice, "it's me." Kuvira's face paled as she turned around. "Suyin! We weren't expecting you for another week... I don't usually talk to Baatar like that-" Kuvira's expecting. Suyin visits.


"It's open," Kuvira called over her shoulder as she eased herself into her seat. "It's _always_ open, Baatar. Stop your damn banging on the door-"

"Actually," Suyin said, amusement in her voice, "it's me."

Kuvira's face paled as she turned around. "Suyin! We weren't expecting you for another week... I don't usually talk to Baatar like that-"

"Relax," Suyin said, laughing. "You've never gotten my husband started on what I was like... how many are you planning on having? When I was expecting Wei and Wing, Baatar Senior was adamant that they would be our last."

"Really?" Kuvira frowned at the thought. "To be honest, I haven't thought about how many we'll be having... Baatar insists that we have to have at least two, but I'm eight months along and I can't imagine going through this again." She stood, gesturing to the armchair. "Why don't you sit? Would you care for some tea?"

Suyin sat, raising her hands. "Don't go to any trouble, Kuvira. Think about your back."

"Please," she scoffed. "It's no trouble at all. The way you Beifongs carry on one would think a pregnancy is crippling disease." As if to prove her point, she filled the kettle and readied the tea, frowning when she saw that Baatar had placed the delicately cut metal teapot on the bottom shelf. After a couple of futile attempts to retrieve it, her stomach hindering her efforts, she swore under her breath and metalbended it to the counter. "You're close to wearing out your welcome," she muttered, a tiny part of her mind wondering if the baby could hear her.

"You know, you're an official Beifong now," Suyin said, joining her at the counter. Kuvira was startled; despite her marriage to Baatar, her relationship with Su had always felt strained whenever they were in a room together. She usually attributed it to herself, since she had been the cause of family discord for nearly five years. Baatar repeatedly tried to reassure her that Suyin had forgiven her after her testimony had won him a more lenient sentence than her own, but it was difficult to believe. Her own attitudes about betrayal and forgiveness had almost irreparably colored her perception of others'. Still, she was grateful that her in-laws did their best to ease the awkwardness of family get-togethers, and Baatar served as her daily example that trust could be regained.

"I suppose," she said softly. "It takes some getting used to." She brewed the tea, brushing aside Suyin's offers to carry the tray as she arranged it on the coffee table. "Have Bolin and Opal set a date for their wedding?"

"Bolin will be on tour again soon for the release of Varrick's latest mover," Suyin said, smiling. "so it may prove to be a long engagement. And Opal is adamant that they hold off on wedding planning until her current batch of airbending students is 'one hundred percent ready for their tattoos.'" Kuvira winced at the reference to her old role as the great uniter.

"She'll be happier if she doesn't delay for too long," she said drily. "It would be a shame to delay their marriage for five years just because of career aspirations. Not that I speak from experience, or anything. So," she added, angling for a change of subject, "how is the rest of the family?"

Before Suyin could answer, they were interrupted by the sound of a Satomobile pulling into the driveway. Kuvira heaved a tiny sigh of relief that was quickly followed by a smirk as she heard the door open and the sound of Baatar swearing, clearly having realized that his mother had arrived early. "Well, this is better than I'd expected," he said as he entered, halfway through taking off his coat. "Hello, Mom."

"What were you expecting, exactly?" Kuvira said, quirking a brow. "A duel in the living room?"

Baatar smiled, tossing his coat and bag aside and stooping to kiss her. "I don't put anything past you." He sat next to her, pulling her against him. "What brings you here so early, Mom?"

"My ticket was canceled, and I had the option of taking an earlier one instead of delaying my visit for a month," Suyin said. "It's been far too long, don't you think? I thought a little surprise would be nice. Your father and the twins can hold down the fort while I help ready things for the arrival of my first grandchild." She glanced around their home, immaculate as ever, with tastefully minimalist furnishing and a spotless kitchen. "But you don't seem to need me. Everything looks wonderful."

"Kuvira is a perfectionist," Baatar said, pride in his voice as his arm around her tightened. "She checks for dust with _gloves_, she curses when her expense reports and budgeting aren't followed to the dot, she rages if dinner is only 'suboptimal' when it's her turn to cook-"

"As if you have room to talk," Kuvira retorted, interlacing her fingers with his. "His demo model for the water filtration device for the refugees only ran at eighty percent efficiency, and I never heard the end of it."

"The calculated temperature maximum should have allowed for a much higher percentage," he said. "Eighty percent isn't up to par-"

"You're proving my point," she said, a triumphant smile teasing at the corner of her lips. Kuvira glanced at Suyin, relaxing a bit when she saw that the woman was smiling softly. "As you can see, we're a paragon of relaxed, easy-going parents-to-be... nothing at all to worry about here."

Baatar tipped her head back to better meet her eyes, smirking. "Yes, our children certainly won't suffer from overtly high expectations." She crinkled her nose, screwing her eyes shut when he kissed it.

Suyin sipped her tea. "Whether you have a bender or a nonbender, I'm sure you'll both do a good job. I'd stay away from philosophy and politics until the child is out of the impressionable stage though...nothing personal, Kuvira," she teased.

"Yes, it's not too soon to joke about that," she murmured, trying to keep a neutral expression as Baatar chuckled. "Although, the healer says we can expect a bender. Naturally she'll be dual-trained-"

"-assuming she's open to it," Baatar reminded her, stealing a sip from her cup.

"You're having a girl, then?" Suyin said delightedly. "How lovely. How has it been, working with Korra in the north? I imagine you're happier working from home now, rather than traveling all the time."

Kuvira smiled at the mention of the avatar. "Avatar Korra is very dedicated," she said. "To be honest, I'd rather be out in the field with her for the relief effort, but she was concerned about me losing the baby after the first miscarriage..." She winced when shock passed over the older woman's face, and she looked at Baatar sharply. "You didn't tell her?" she hissed.

"I never found a way to bring it up!" he protested. "Besides, you're the one carrying the baby-"

"_You're_ the one that put it there," she replied. "I wasn't far along," she confessed, the familiar feeling of loss settling over her. "We were about to break the news that we were expecting, but... the healer seemed to think it was related to the high exposure to the spirit energy from the weapon. After that, Korra insisted I take it easy with this one."

Suyin nodded sadly. "Kuvira, if you ever need to talk, you do know I'm just a call away, don't you?"

Kuvira regarded her thoughtfully. "I know," she said. "Really Su, I'm fine... your son is more than I deserve. I don't know of anyone else who'd put up with me right now..."

"You don't need to be nice to me just because my mother is in the room," Baatar said as he kissed her temple. "If I wanted someone with a saccharine disposition, I wouldn't have proposed to you... twice."

"Too damn soon, Baatar."

Suyin laughed. "Junior takes after his father. My poor husband has the patience of a saint.. he needed it, since I was pretty hotheaded in my younger days. I saw and still see a lot of myself in you, Kuvira... I wouldn't expect anything less than catty, cranky days from hormonal upsets." Her gaze softened. "So that's why you're working on infrastructure. Are you still teaching dance?"

"Part time," Kuvira said. "I'll go crazy if I can't keep active, but I'm not doing any acrobatics. If Baatar could have his way, I wouldn't lift a finger."

"If Kuvira could have her way, she'd be weight training with me the day before she's due," Baatar said, rolling his eyes.

"If I could have my way, you'd be home in Zaofu." Suyin poured herself another cup of tea. "But we don't always get what we want, so we have to learn to compromise, don't we? It's one of the first things you'll learn, being married." She regarded the two of them, her eyes narrowed but a smile on her lips. "You both have always been quick learners... I'm not worried at all."

"I've told him to visit more often," Kuvira said, raising her eyebrows. "Of course it's impossible now that I'm so far along, but-"

"I meant the both of you," Suyin said, causing Kuvira's cheeks to color in a rush of surprised delight. "You're family now, and my door is and will always be open... just like yours is."

"Thank you, Su," Kuvira said softly. "That means the world to me."

"Told you so," Baatar muttered. Kuvira scowled at him, but as Suyin laughed, she couldn't maintain the expression. Looking from her husband to her mother-in-law, she found herself feeling oddly light despite the awkward new weight on her body, and as the long-held hesitance and reservations fell away she understood what it felt like to be part of the family.

FIN

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><p><strong>AN: Oddania's drabble had me wanting to do a preggo!Kuvira for a while. So I did a thing. OOPS.**

**I feel like hormonal Kuvira would be a nightmare, but she keeps it under wraps when mommy-in-law is home. Baatar is chill about it like his father.. so naturally he finds it funny. And I feel like Su was no saint either. ;) Either way, THANKS FOR MAKING THIS IMPOSSIBLE, BRYKE.**


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